The Defamation Bill is being used as a backdoor means of introducing state regulation of the press

Governments have improved the quality of legislation in recent years by ensuring that measures are scrutinised before beginning their formal parliamentary stages. The Defamation Bill, currently before the Lords, has been through this process and should help reduce the soaring costs of libel actions while balancing the protection of reputation with free expression. It is, therefore, unfortunate that in its final stages, the Bill is being used as a backdoor means of introducing state regulation of the press for the first time since 1695.

On Tuesday, the House of Lords supported a last-minute amendment to set up an arbitration system for people complaining about their treatment by the press. Peers backing the move were critical of newspapers for failing to implement the recommendations of the Leveson inquiry. Yet scarcely 10 weeks have passed since Leveson reported and great progress has been made towards putting in place a regulatory structure that meets most of the inquiry’s aims.

Leveson and the Lords - Telegraph